Salmon can make amazing journeys, sometimes moving hundreds of miles upstream against strong currents and rapids to reproduce. Chinook and sockeye salmon from central Idaho, for example, travel over 900 miles (1,400 km) and climb nearly 7,000 feet (2,100 m) from the Pacific ocean as they return to spawn. Condition tends to deteriorate the longer the fish remain in fresh water, and they then deteriorate further after they spawn, when they are known as kelts. In all species of Pacific salmon, the mature individuals die within a few days or weeks of spawning,

But death only comes after releasing all those libido...in this case Wes retiring after becoming world champion. ..his dream becoming true ...

But definitely, Magnus will precede him...Wesley most likely his successor.

Whitehat1963: I repeat: He's only number 89 in the world. He's only the number 5 rated JUNIOR player.

Why so much optimism?

Look at how young Radjabov, Bacrot, Grischuk, Leko, Polgar, and Karjakin were when they rose to prominence. Which has ever been the number one player in the world? None. At least Leko played for the championship. On the other hand, Carlsen is already number one.

Wesley So is a talented player, one among many. The chance against him becoming a world champion are unbelievably steep. Just enjoy his games and stop talking so much nonsense.

Whitehat1963: Oh, I'm sure you're right. I just can't for the life of me understand why there's so much enthusiasm for a player who will likely never even reach the top 10. And if he ever does, he won't stay there for long, like, say, Ivanchuk. I wish people would realize that Wesley So's most rabid fans have lost their marbles.

Whitehat1963: When Wesley So breaks into the top 10 and stays there for three years, then we can talk about him having a chance to become world champiion. Until then, statements like that above are merely idle chatter.

tpstar: <Whitehat1963> Wesley So is drifting: no coach, no training, no sponsorship. The adults in his fan base who should have been helping him all along have done everything they can to ruin his career, and now there are whispers that he will attend college instead of playing professional chess.

Wesley is ranked 16th all time great inspite of playing only a minimal of 105 games. Compare this for example with Naka who has already more than 15,000 games. If Wes would continue playing his rating would go over and beyond the charts!

Also consider that Wes was once the youngest GM in the world at 14 plus years of age...and the youngest in chess history to break the 2600 mark.

What more proof do you want? Are you plain blind or r u stupid or something?

Whitehat1963: Here's a very plain prediction now that I will stand behind:

Wesley So is already 18 years old and hasn't yet cracked the top 40 or 2700 Elo. Unless he undergoes some kind of miracle of biblical proportions, he will likely never reach the top 10, let alone become the world champion.

According to the Chessmetrics site, the highest rated 18-year-olds of all time were:

Kasparov, Kramnik, Fischer, Ponomariov, Kamsky, and Spassky. Five of the six became world champions.

On the other hand, the highest rated 14-year-olds of all time were:

Polgar, Karjakin, Kramnik, Fischer, Leko, Radjabov, and Kasparov. The results are more mixed here, as Polgar, Karjakin, and Radjabov have yet to even challenge for the championship in a match.

It goes to show that there are many players who can be called "flash in the pan."

The thing is, Wesley So hasn't even flashed at all. And he's nowhere near the pan.

matebay: <whitehat1963> and <tpstar>, I bid you gudnight? It's 1:40 in the morning here in the pearl of the orient. Time to take a respite from today's broadcasting. Until then...may Wesley So be with us all!

Whitehat1963: <Rating list is meaningless. If you don't get invited, you don't get them elos.>
Pure nonsense.

If you win wherever you're invited, you're likely to get invited to better and better events, and your Elo rating will improve if you keep performing well. It's not like Kasparov, Karpov, Kramnik, Ivanchuk, and Topalov were invited to Linares when they were 10 years old. They had to earn their way there like everyone else. But by the time he was 18 years old, Kasparov, for instance, was playing (and winning) major tournaments and being invited everywhere.

In 1989, little known Sofia Polgar won the Rome Open -- hardly Linares or Corus -- at the age of 14, defeating several GMs and earning a performance rating of 2735 along the way. I'm sure that after that performance she was invited to more tournaments than she could possibly attend.

When players defeat their competition consistently, the invitations come in droves, regardless of sponsorship, name-recognition, or any other potential impediments. There's no world-wide conspiracy to keep Wesley So from being invited to Linares or participating in Corus A. He just has to earn his invitations. Heck, as it is, he's played in a couple of World Cups, Corus Group C, Spice Cup, Aeroflot, Dubai, etc. If he had performance ratings like Polgar's in the "Sack of Rome," I'm sure a major tournament invite or two would already have come his way. Alas ...

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